This website has been in the works for practically all of 2015, I just took a few detours along the way. When I moved back to Knoxville, I knew with great certainty that I wanted to pursue sewing, which had become my passion, full-time, and hopefully as a career. As life has it, though, I had to actually live first. I did what every resourceful young woman would do: I took a job, found a house, and began rebuilding my life post-divorce. It wasn’t until a few months ago that I realized that while I had taken the right road for self-support, I hadn’t done much in the way of pursuing my actual passion. So I decided to act.

I launched my Modern Seamstress Facebook page on October 1, and I offered a coat sewalong course in November. I struggled all year with choosing between sewing for others, which sustained me over the summer, and teaching. I finally decided I could do both, and I had so much fun leading the coat course that I resigned from my “day job” and put the wheels into motion to pursue Modern Seamstress full-time in 2016.

This decision wasn’t as nerve-racking as I imagined. If anything, I felt a surge of relief to be pursuing something that mattered in every fiber of my being. I have an amazing support system of friends and family who have been telling me to take this leap all year and I know they have my back in case I need them. I also know that my passion for sewing is contagious, and that I have a unique story to tell.

My goals for 2016 are pretty simple:

teach others to sew & inspire them to love the art

sew for others & inspire them to get excited about dressing their body

share my personal story to encourage and empower other women

I’m fairly bold to think that everything else will fall into place if I keep my eye on those goals. I’ve spent years not taking risks, not speaking up, and certainly not running after my dreams with passion and fervor. 2016 will be the year of reckless abandon, being true to myself, living fully and being so very grateful for the experiences that brought me to where I am today.